New Year’s is a great opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come and where we hope to go next. The trouble is, most of us then proceed to set entirely unrealistic resolutions that we ultimately fail. Here are the most common failed resolutions, and how to approach them instead.

Your diet plan only works if you stick to it. To do that, you’ll probably want a little variety. Rather than trying to come up with ten possible healthy selections for each meal of the day, stick to one thing for lunch, then mix it up at dinner.

Dear Lifehacker,
I hear a high metabolism is good for losing weight and keeping healthy, so I try to stay active. However, I love my afternoon naps! Sometimes I'm just tired, but they keep me productive. Sleeping slows your metabolism down though. Am I undoing all my good work?

What started my weight loss journey was the decision to make a lifestyle change—which entailed a major diet change and adding exercise to my life. I also had to STOP making excuses. If you keep making excuses, the list below will never help you.

Portion control is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy weight. Instead of counting calories or using measuring cups, quickly estimate portion sizes for your proteins, veggies, carbs, and fat by looking at your hands, as these visual guides illustrate.

“No pain, no gain!” “You’ll never bulk up without supplements.” “Crunches are the key to six-pack abs!” It seems there are more questions and half-truths in the market about healthy exercise than there are clear, definitive facts—but the exercise industry is a multi-billion dollar business in the United States alone,…

Sometimes when cooking you might not want to pull out the measuring cups or spoons. In those cases, use what you have in reach (or, well, on you): your hands and familiar utensils. As a bonus, knowing the size of your utensils and dishes at home may help you better control portions for better weight maintenance.

Can cutting just ten calories a day make a big difference in your health? The Food Network writes that easy, small changes like cutting out a packet of sugar in your coffee that you do consistently can help you achieve big goals.

Sometimes it takes seeing a bottle of Sunkist orange soda next to six Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches to get perspective on just how much sugar store-bought drinks contain. The Eat This, Not That site provides that perspective for 20 different beverages.

Motivation is a tricky thing. Sure you want to lose weight for health reasons, but most of the time health is such an abstract concept that it's not a great motivator. Money, on the other hand—that's a different story entirely.

Web site Health.com lists a series of great tips to "blast off fat faster." While the title makes it sound like a dime-a-dozen lose-weight-fast article, the post actually is full of practical, realistic tips for ways you can improve your workouts by changing your exercise habits and keeping a closer eye on your body.…

Sure you try to eat healthy, but hey, sometimes you want to drop a handful of fries and a burger into your gullet, and who are we to judge? But next time you get a hankering for some fast food, check out previously mentioned web site a Calorie Counter's comprehensive comparison of fast food nutritional facts.…

Yahoo Food suggests eight frozen dinner entrees you can buy at the local supermarket to scratch your take-out itch that won't cost you an arm and a leg and won't pack on the weight of an extra arm or leg. From pizza and enchiladas to ravioli and coconut chicken, the article promises these eight foods will motivate you…